1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to vehicle simulators and, more particularly, is concerned with realistically simulating to the user the sound of the vehicle as it moves within the simulated universe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle simulators and arcade games utilizing video displays have been available to the public for some time, but with the passage of time, the simulators and video arcade games have become ever more sophisticated and realistic. In many of today""s vehicle simulators and arcade video games it is desired to immerse the driver in a particular environment, for example, by placing the driver in a realistic auto cockpit with a video screen presenting a road or race course with realistic racing sounds.
Great strides have been made in improving the quality of the simulation. The physical layout of a typical driving game can include clutch, brake and gas pedals, a gearshift and a steering wheel to make the driver feel as if he or she is in a real auto cockpit. The driver is provided with a video display having a realistic three-dimensional graphical representation of the driving environment. But less has been done to improve the sound quality of the arcade game beyond providing stereo sound and multiple speakers.
Consequently, a need exists for realistic vehicle simulators and arcade games that accurately reproduce the real life sounds that accompany the displayed visual images in order to capture the driver""s imagination and increase the quality of the driver""s experience.
The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the invention which includes a vehicle simulation system including a sound resonant chamber system for simulating the audio sounds representative of the sounds produced during the operation of the simulated vehicle, including a seat, wherein a user of the simulated vehicle sits during operation of the simulated vehicle, multiple input devices corresponding to input devices of the vehicle simulated by the vehicle simulation system, a computer for receiving input signals from the input devices; a control process executed by the computer for selectively converting the input signals into a plurality of control output signals, including audio sounds, wherein the control output signals correspond to events occurring during operation of the simulated vehicle in the simulated universe, and a sound resonant chamber assembly including a speaker and a sound tube attached to the speaker for directing the audio sounds.
The invention further includes a method of realistically producing sounds representative of engine conditions produced during the operation of a simulated vehicle in a simulated driving game, including providing a plurality of input devices for controlling the operation of the simulated vehicle, determining position information of the simulated vehicle in a simulated environment, displaying position information with a view of the simulated environment as seen from said simulated vehicle on a video display to the user, producing sound signals representing engine conditions during operation of said simulated vehicle in said simulated environment, and directing the sound signals through a sound chamber to provide a realistic sound which is representative of engine conditions produced during operation of a corresponding actual vehicle and in a corresponding actual universe.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.